Monday, 19 March 2012

No Sunday Post

This was because we were out in the morning and I never got round to it for the rest of the day.In the morning we went to our local Auction House as it was a viewing day for a catalogue sale.Tennants is called 'The Christies of the North' and I must say that looking round the stuff on auction at their catalogue sales you cannot help but be amazed by it.Apart from the usual lots of lovely furniture, china, silver and jewelry there were also massive collections of butterflies pinned on to board and stored in cabinets, shells (hundreds of them) and - most horrific of all - a room full of stuffed animal heads. There were tiger and leopard rugs and then dozens of stuffed heads - who would wish to buy such things?

We usually stay and have a Sunday lunch in the restaurant but yesterday we came home because I had left a nice fat herb-fed free range chicken cooking slowly in the Aga. It was delicious.

The first dandelion has appeared in our lawn. We have a constant battle with them throughout the season but I must say that the first flower is always a joy to see. What a pity they are seen as weeds because they have such a lovely flower.

It is only a matter of time before the first buttercup also rears its golden yellow head among the flower beds - or, worse still, in the lawn. I don't know which is worse to remove - the deep, deep root of the dandelion or the creeping sneaky root of the buttercup. Apparently buttercup flowers make a good skin potion if they are warmed in vaseline. And of course, dandelion flowers make delicious wine and their new leaves are tasty in salads.

But if we leave them all then they will take over; and then where will our reputations be?

Do admire the lovely rose in the photograph. I try to avoid carbon footprints/air miles etc. But I do make an exception for Tesco's roses. These have been on my kitchen window sill for three weeks tomorrow (I took this photograph a few minutes ago); the bunch of ten cost me three pounds and they are guaranteed for a week. After three weeks they are still going strong and I cannot over-estimate the pleasure they have given me.

18 comments:

Your rose is beautiful Pat. I have seen my first dandelion and lots of daisies, but not in our lawn as my husband thinks it is the best part of the garden! I grow magnificent buttercups and dandelions and once made a very nice wine with dandelion flowers.

What is your trick to keep flowers so long? Seriously, mine never make it more than 5 days or so. I'm in awe.Auctions are 1 of my most favorite things to do ever. I skipped ours yesterday, would love to have been to yours. It sounds much more glam than mine usually are.

....and please don't throw the roses out when they do fade, hang them to dry and they will reward you with another pretty display. Personally I love them even more when dried - however the stuffed heads you saw at auction would never hang on my walls. It's horrific to think people still actually go on safaris, paying thousands, to kill those beautiful creatures!

Yellow flowers popping up in the green, green grass of home - love the memory!

Off again on Wed. Too much travel but this year is going to be like that so I have to get used to it! My garden is suffering from lack of love - hoping Mother Nature is forgiving!

When my daughter was small I often received huge bouquets of dandelions and have found them lovely ever since. Now buttercups are another thing altogether. The have invaded our lawns and I fear that eradicating them will leave me with a whole lot of bare lawn.